Search Results for: little bit of labor

Some Thoughts on Labor and Delivery

If you are pregnant, you may want to get yourself a maternity tee shirt printed with the words “Keep Your Labor and Delivery Horror Stories To Yourself”. Seriously. If you have not noticed it already, pregnant women are a magnet for people who want to tell their delivery room tales of woe. I am not sure exactly what is behind the urge to disclose embarrassing, painful and/or scary labor and delivery experiences to women who are definitely going to be going through the process of labor and delivery some time in the not too distant future. During both of my … Continue reading →

Little Hands = Big Help

Know how you can save money around the house?  Put your kids to work. Many parents shy away from assigning household jobs to their young children rationalizing that it takes less time and energy if they simply complete the tasks themselves.  Of course, a child is never going to learn how to make a bed, clean a toilet or fold laundry if his parent doesn’t allow him to get hands-on experience and make mistakes along the way.  Most kids learn from their errors, though that’s little consolation to the mom who has to refold an entire basket of clean laundry … Continue reading →

Labor Part II

By nine in the evening my contractions had remained constant but because they still had not changed too much, I felt that perhaps there was something I could do to kick my labor into high gear. I did not want to rest for fear that the contractions would diminish. My husband and I continued to get things organized for what was hopefully the arrival of our daughter within the next twenty-four hours. Throughout the evening my midwife checked in to see how I was doing and I kept telling her the same thing: the contractions are constant but still mild. … Continue reading →

Thoughts on Working on Labor Day

Today I noticed that one of my fellow bloggers, Richele McFarlin, wrote about the topic of Labor Day. I’ll be working a little bit this Labor Day just like Richelle, and I am sure that we won’t be the only home-based professionals spending at least some of the day working. I really do not mind working on Labor Day because there are no family barbecues, parties, or other events beckoning to me to come away from my desk. If there were, it might be a little harder to stay on task. The main reason that I will be working on … Continue reading →

How to Make The Hobbit Costume

Yesterday, I shared some easy last minute Halloween costumes that can be made at home with very little effort. One of the offerings was an idea for a Lord of the Rings costume. That prompted a reader to ask me about a more elaborate, but still homemade hobbit costume. So here it is, how to make The Hobbit Costume. (By the way, the Hobbit movie is officially cast now!) Let us start with the hobbit breaches. You’ll need a pair of dress pants made out of wool or cotton. If you don’t have a pair, look for some at your … Continue reading →

Waiting for Labor

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One of my friends is very close to delivery. We were talking the other night about signs of impending labor and I began to reflect on my own experience. Every woman’s story is different, but I have noticed that first babies tend to take their sweet time getting ready. I delivered on a Monday, but my contractions started on the Wednesday prior. It gets stressful when you can’t figure out whether you’re experiencing the real thing or simply false labor. After all, there’s nothing false about false labor. It still hurts, it just doesn’t lead to any progress. Unless you’ve … Continue reading →

Five Basic Exercises for Successful Labor

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Delivering a baby requires a little flexibility. I’m not talking about compromising your birth plan, either. When you’re trying to squeeze a seven or eight pound baby through a space that is pretty small to begin with, you’re kidding yourself if you think you won’t have to contort into a number of rather awkward positions to make it happen. If you don’t stretch and limber up your muscles beforehand, you can expect quite a bit of extra soreness after you deliver. Who wants extra pain? Getting your body ready for delivery is not difficult, it just takes a little planning … Continue reading →

The Final Stage of Labor

A few minutes after my baby boy entered the world, I felt another contraction coming on, weaker than the rest. It felt like a dry heave and like it was second nature, I gave a quick push. The placenta came flying out like a vaginal sneeze. I hope you weren’t just eating dinner while you read that last line. Don’t worry, I had the same reaction. The doctor held it up and I exclaimed, “Ugh, that’s attractive!” To this day, I still don’t know why I said that. My husband still makes fun of me for it because he claims … Continue reading →

Labor Day Road Trip Boredom Busters

Think fast: What are you better equipped to handle on a 5-hour long Labor Day weekend road trip, a flat tire or a bored preschooler strapped to the backseat of the car? Most parents would rather deal with a flat than a car full of whiny children. If your vehicle doesn’t come equipped with a DVD player or you are embarking on a tech-free vacation, then you might consider the following classic car games to keep things running smoothly: Twenty Questions This car game favorite requires one person to think of a person, place or thing, while each of the … Continue reading →

Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present – Charlotte Zolotow

Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present is a wonderful collaboration between author Charlotte Zolotow and illustrator Maurice Sendak. The book won the 1963 Caldecott Honor and is considered a well-loved classic with many teachers and families. In the story, a little girl asks Mr. Rabbit for help. She’s looking for birthday present for her mother. Mr. Rabbit agrees to help. The little girl says the mother likes red. The rabbit replies that you can’t give “red”. So the little girl says “Something red, maybe.” And the two try to think of something red. Mr. Rabbit suggests red underwear. That line … Continue reading →